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Topic: Some Doctors are Unbelievable! (Read 5262 times)

I have been wanting to post this for quite a while... but have been hesitant because of any possible ramifications. But it is so very important... I really feel it needs to be said. So... I am taking a leap of faith and posting it. I am quite sure that I cannot possibly be the only person this has happened to.... and would really be interested in knowing how wide spread something like this is.

When I got my "cancer free" great news from Dr. Neelam at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) she gave me a prescription form that indicated that I need to have an infusion of Zometa (for my bones) every 4 weeks with some blood workup done prior to infusion. AT CTCA, this infusion takes 20 minutes. She told me she was not sure that anyone would accept the orders as written on the prescription form, but I had no idea the drama I would be going through testing that statement.

As soon as I got home, I called my regular MD that I have been seeing approximately every 3 months for years, and who was the one who told me I had breast cancer last year when she received the results of the mammogram that she ordered. I talked to the nurse and told her that I needed the Zometa infusion every 4 weeks, and asked if the Dr. would write up the orders so I could go to the local hospital and have this done. I explained that it was a 20 minute procedure and that it was obviously better for my health, lymphedema, etc. to have this done locally instead of having to fly out to CTCA to have it done every month. Imagine my astonishment when the nurse called me back and said that the Dr. said "She did not want to get in the middle of this". This HURT - BIG TIME - to hear that a doctor that I have seen for so long, that I THOUGHT truly cared about me as an individual.. was not going to help me in this situation.

Ok, I thought... maybe the big "C" word scares doctors too, if they are not specialists .... so I called the cancer center that I initially went to after my mastectomy and asked if the Dr. who did the radiation on me would be so kind as to write the orders for me to have this infusion. Once again I was told that no one in that office would take care of my physical needs. I was told that the breast cancer dr that I had see in that office said that I had chosen to get my treatment for the cancer at CTCA instead of with her, so I would need to get the Zometa at CTCA as well. Now.. keep in mind... that this doctor was the one that could count on one hand how many stage four patients she could remember treating - only one of which was still alive if I remember correctly. So... HAD I continued with her for treatment, I would most likely be dead now anyway, and this whole refusal of treatment would never have had to take place

So... I called another medical group that is covered by my insurance plan and spoke to the office manager of that group of Drs. I explained the situation and she had been a nurse for many years and could not understand why 3 doctors (up to this point) had refused to treat me. She was so sweet! She said she would call around and see what she could find out and see if one of her doctors could help - even though they had never seen me before. I also told her I would be glad to transfer to one of the Drs. in that medical group - and have all my records transferred over from my "don't want to get it the middle of it" medical doctor.

A few days passed before I heard back from her, and I am guessing from her call that even the doctors in her medical group would not help me because when she called, she had another person on the phone with her (3-way call) from the cancer center that I initially went to that had already turned me down. The other girl was quick to get us off the 3-way - and within a few minutes of hanging up, called me back and said she wanted more info from me and did not want to have the office manager from the other doctors office on the phone. So... I explained my saga yet once again, telling her that the doctors at her office had already declined to treat me. She said I might have misunderstood and would go speak with the doctor personally. An hour or so later, she called me back and said that I had NOT misunderstood, that the doctor in that office would not treat me and she had spoken with another doctor who agreed with her. I asked why they would not help me get the Zometa infusion and she said the doctor said she would not take orders from another doctor!! I was so stunned at that remark! And, very sadly I said to this girl..... you know... MAYBE some day doctors will be able to get over their big egos, or chips off their shoulders because someone decides to go somewhere that has SUCCESSFULLY TREATED TONS of stage 4 cancer patients - and think about the PATIENT that is in need and work hand in hand with each other instead of jeopardizing the health of the patient by refusing to treat them. I thanked her very much for her time and told her I hoped that she did not think I was being a bitch for saying that stuff - but I was frustrated because no one would help me here locally.

Now.... here comes the weird part... IF you are still awake to read it!!

About an hour later I got a call from a scheduler that said she was from the cancer center ... saying that the girl I had spoken with had told her I needed to be scheduled immediately for a zometa infusion. Ok... I am flabbergasted at this point and said that the girl had told me the dr had refused to treat me. She asked "What doctor refused to give you the zometa?" So I told her the name of the doctor. The gal says... that's weird, because their office is the one that called me.... so... I finally figure out that this is a cancer center of the same name - BUT it was a different location in Kansas City, instead of the one in Lee's Summit that had refused me treatment.

Any of you that know me well has to know that my next response was as follows.... please be sure to go tell the doctor at your treatment center everything I have told you and make SURE that he will take me on as a patient and "hold hands" with Dr. Neelam at CTCA before we set up this appointment!

Well... she called me back a little later and said... yes, the Doctor would see me and get me going on the treatment I needed.

So.... FINALLY .... I have found an Oncologist here in my area that will give me the medicine that I need and take care of me in between my visits to CTCA!!

WHEW!!! I bet you NEVER thought I would finish this story ... did you???

I have more to say... but I think I will save it for another post .... this one wore me out! hehehehe

I spoke to my regular doctor the other day on my routine 3 month visit, and I told her how upset I was that she would not help me with the infusion of zometa. I told her that it made me feel that she did not give a hoot for me as her patient and taking care of my well being. She adequately explained to me that she could not prescribe the zometa simply because it was a form of chemotherapy - which she did not specialize in and that it has side effects that she is not qualified to deal with in her level of medical practice.

She told me that she DOES care for me as her patient and it would have been doing me a disservice to prescribe a medication that an oncologist prescribes.

She made perfect sense - because I was thinking that zometa was very similar to reclast - which she does prescribe - but it does not have the complications, nor does it do the same thing as the zometa.

So.... even though I was already "over" what I perceived as non willingness to help me, I felt much better about continuing to see her as my internal med doctor after she explained all of it to me!

The doctor at the other cancer center however is NOT nor will NEVER be off the hook and if I were the "suing kind" I would sue her butt for refusing me treatment!!

I am at CTCA right now, will post when I get back from seeing the doctor and going over the results of my bone scan and CT scan.